His brother spent ten weeks serving alongside regular Army officers in a dusty camp in Afghanistan. And now Prince William has expressed the hope he might follow Harry's example in fighting on the frontline, and that of his uncle, the Duke of York, who served in the Falklands conflict in 1982.

"I didn't join the Forces to be mollycoddled or treated any different," he insists. "As far as I am concerned if Harry can do it I can."

Asked what his chances are of being allowed into a war zone by MOD top brass, the action-man royal responded: "You talk to everyone else and it's impossible, but I still remain hopeful there is a chance".

The remarks came during a break in training for the soldier-Princes at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, where the second in line to the throne is preparing to become a search and rescue pilot. His sibling is learning to fly Lynx and Apache attack helicopters.

During their interview, Wills also spilled the beans on Harry's less than enthusiastic approach to housework in the bachelor pad they're sharing off the base.

"Bearing in mind I cook, I feed him every day I think he's done very well," said the future king, who turns 27 on Sunday.

"Harry does do washing up, but then he leaves most of it in the sink. And then I come back in the morning and I have to wash it up," he revealed. His 24-year-old sibling wasn't taking the criticism lying down, though. "Oh the lies, all lies," he joked.

Harry also got his own back by teasing Wills about his thinning hair. "I think he's definitely got more brains than me, I think that we established that from school... and his baldness".